The Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters has taken its campaign to inspire Mail-In Voting to the ultimate extreme this election: Giving you no choice.

Don’t Wait in Line … Because you can’t!

First they introduce a lovable mascot. Then they make you embrace him. Voters in Precinct 1671 — and quite possibly others in WG — have no choice but to vote by mail for the November 4 election because there are not enough regular poll-going walk-up voters left. The Registrar convinced 434 of the 644 registered voters in the precinct (southern WG, east of Lincoln) to become permanent mail-in voters, triggering the mail-in only threshold.

Precincts with fewer than 250 walk-in voters are now mandated “Vote-by-Mail” precincts, and you may live in one. Check your sample ballot, which arrived in many mailboxes this week. In years past, the Registrar has combined precinct voting locations in Willow Glen, but requiring mail-in voting is a new phenomenon here.

The non-partisan SmartVoter.org website (sponsored by the League of Women Voters) lists numerous polling locations across WG, but you can’t tell whether they’ll be yours or not just yet.

The Registrar of Voters website also hosts a Mail-In Vote FAQ page, but there are apparently only three frequently asked questions. The WGx Executive Summary: Yes, your vote will count; yes, it’s secure; no you don’t have to actually mail it.

WGx would like to humbly ask a Fourth Q: “Why did you spend all that money asking if we wanted to vote by mail, only to tell us we had to anyway?”

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By the way, our friends at SJ Metblogs have offered two voting-related reminders last week. October 20 is the last day to register to vote for the next election. And they also published a thorough list of non-partisan resources on various ballot issues.

It’s “Best of” Season in the local newspaper world, with the publication last month of the Metro’s Best of Silicon Valley list and the beginning this week of balloting in the “Best of Willow Glen” version compiled by the WG Resident.

The Metro list is an interesting glimpse into how the rest of Silicon Valley sees us … through the local merchants that help define our neighborhood. Here are the WG businesses that made Metro’s “Best of Silicon Valley.” Metro published the top-three in each category, so the actual ranking is shown here in parentheses:

Best of Food & Sustenance

• Taiwan Restaurant — Best Chinese (#1) … Lincoln Avenue in Downtown WG
• Sushi Kazoo — Best Japanese (#1) and Best Sushi (#1) … Multiple South Bay locations, including one inside WG’s Garden Theater
• Tlaquepaque — Best Mexican (#2) … Multiple WG locations, including Lincoln & Curtner, Willow Street
• El Rancho — Best Taqueria (#3) … 1401 Almaden Road (at Alma) … close enough to WG
• Bill’s Cafe — Best Breakfast (#2) … Willow Street near Lincoln, although the Rosegarden location is probably pretty good, too.
• Aqui Cal-Mex — Best Patio (#3) and Best Margarita (#3) … Original location is on Lincoln Avenue in Downtown WG
• Pizza My Heart — Best Pizza (#3) … Lincoln Avenue near Minnesota, and everywhere else too.
• Mojo Burger — Best Burger (#1) again … Bird Avenue at Minnesota/Alma
• Dick’s Bakery — Best Bakery (#1) … Meridian Avenue at Hamilton
• Flour Flower — Best Desserts (#2) 896 Willow Street, near Bird
• Willow Glen Frozen Yogurt — Best Ice Cream (#3) … corner of Lincoln and Willow in Downtown WG
• La Villa — Best Deli/Sandwich Shop (#1) … Lincoln Avenue Downtown
• Cardinal Lounge — Best Late-Night Eats (#1) … Meridian Avenue at Hillsdale

Best of Shopping & Services

• Willow Glen Bicycles — Best Bicycle Shop (#1) … Willow Street at Lincoln Avenue
• Scott’s Super Video — Best Video/DVD Rental (#1) Willow Street at Bird Avenue
• Hjinx Comics — Best Comics Store (#1) … Lincoln Avenue at Malone Road
• Alchemy Hair Studio — Best Hair Salon (#3) … Metro says they have “multiple locations” without mentioning that both of them are on Lincoln Avenue, one at Broadway and the other close to Minnesota
• Peninsula Beauty — Best Beauty Supply (#2) Lincoln Avenue downtown
• Grapevine — Best Wine Shop (#2) Lincoln Avenue near Minnesota
• Willow Glen Dentistry — Best Dentist (#3) … on Lincoln Avenue attached to Bank of America
• Willow Glen Hardware — Best “Home Depot Alternative” (#3) aka ACE Hardware, on Lincoln at Curtner
• Fleurish — Best Gift Store (#1) … loving their newish location on Lincoln Avenue in Downtown WG
• Domus — Best Kitchen/Cooking Store (#1) and Best Gift Store (#3) … Technically awarded to the Los Gatos location, but now also located on Lincoln at Minnesota
• Hicklebees — Best Local Bookstore (#2) … Lincoln Avenue near Willow Glen Books
• Willow Glen Books — Best Local Bookstore (#3) … Lincoln Avenue near Hicklebees

Hicklebees and WG Books are still battling each other in the same category for Metro. Other, more sensible publications long ago separated these two combatants.

Best of Love & Romance

• Mann’s Jewelers — Best Jewelry Store (#2) … Lincoln Avenue

Whew! we just made it in to his category … no thanks to Dan Mokma.

Interestingly, there were several whole categories where WG went completely unrepresented, including Arts & Culture and Fashion, the latter of which was devoted entirely to worshiping to Santana Row, despite the presence of several quality retailers in WG. Whatever.

And while Aqui’s Best Margarita shows up in the Music & Nightlife list, but that was probably thanks to their other locations where there is actual nightlife.

The downturn in the housing market is towering over Willow Glen home owners. Literally?

The SJ Mercury News confirmed this week what WGx has seen as inevitable: People don’t want to buy a view of the San Jose skyline, especially one that turns its back on Willow Glen.

Upscale condo sales have slowed to a crawl, and developers in desperation are turning their for-sale homes in the downtown into rentals, in hopes of seeing some return on their multimillion-dollar investments. …

The latest project to convert to rentals is Barry Swenson’s Skyline, an 11-story, high-rise tower near Highway 87. The San Jose City Council approved the conversion Tuesday after Swenson closed his sales office and ceased marketing the 242-unit project because he couldn’t attract buyers. …

… [D]evelopers are being allowed to rent the units for up to five years. They are banking on the housing market coming back to life, allowing them to sell the units down the road.

So, mark your calendars for September 2013 … your second chance to buy a fancy view of Downtown SJ!

Oops. WGx meant to publish a bit more proactively on the topic, since one of our WG neighbors wrote about World Car Free Day on his website. Gary Wiens from San Jose Metblogs tells the story:

On Monday September 22, people from around the world get together to celebrate a day without cars. With gas prices at an all time high, Carfree Day is the perfect time to leave your car at home and get around your neighborhood and the region by foot, bike, bus, and train or by sharing the ride.

Only WGx was admittedly asleep at the wheel, due to another busy Monday in real life. To make amends, you’re invited to consider the story of a transplanted Willow Glen family now living in Amsterdam, where car-free day was apparently Sunday … and was legally mandated. Bet that would’ve impressed Gary …

With the fate of Fire Station #6 now apparently separate from the Station 37 question, we have the November ballot measure to ponder. WGx wonders what the response will be from the rest of the city to the public safety priorities of the Cambrian and Willow Glen neighborhoods.

In response to the unsavory possibility of closing one station to open another, the City of SJ did formally adopt an official policy on closing fire stations. In theory, this preserves Station 6 for years to come, although that doesn’t make the Hose Wagon feel any better.

Mixed in with a Presidential ballot, a statewide debate on gay marriage, and a variety of school bonds, the parkland-for-fire-station question will probably get little consideration beyond a cursory one.

Since WGx World HQ is much closer to the Senior Center than it is to the current Station 6, officials can expect at least one “yes” vote in November …

Today, of course, marks the seventh anniversary of the September 11 attacks in 2001, and the date continues to be one of reverence across the country. Yesterday, WGx reader James Hegg emailed his hopes for respectful flag-waving across our neighborhood: (more…)

If you don’t normally read the SJ Mercury’s editorial page, you might have missed a great story about an athletic award presented to a WG High School student.

Willow Glen’s Taylor Lundquist was honored with a “Triple-Impact Competitor Scholarship” this past Saturday from the Positive Coaching Alliance, based in Palo Alto.

Ten Northern California high school seniors, including two in the South Bay — Taylor Lundquist of Willow Glen High and Jose Ramirez of Sequoia High School — received $3,500 scholarships. No award better celebrates the values of sport that get lost in the statistics of wins and losses, and points scored.

The triple in Triple Impact refers to players who personally excel and make their teams and their sport better through leadership. Athletes like Lundquist, who “has the ability to get her teammates to work harder because they don’t want to let her down,” her soccer coach wrote in a testimonial.

The Mercury’s article lauds Lundquist’s leadership on and off the field — and celebrates her toughness by noting she was sporting 34 stitches and a broken nose at the award ceremony. She had sustained the injury at the Field Hockey Jamoree in WG.

But for the record, you have to visit the PCA’s website, where Taylor’s injury is proudly on display!

Way to go Taylor!

The State of California’s Department of Education released its annual report on student progress today, sharing statistical analysis of local students’ strong performance on standardized tests.

Overall, the results for most WG schools are quite promising. Only Canoas Elementary failed to reach its targets, and some schools made significant jumps. The highest overall increase was made by Hammer Montessori @ Galarza, which jumped 41 points to score 835. The highest-performing WG schools were Booksin (890) and Bagby (903), although both schools (along with Schallenberger) still have student subgroups that are not reaching their performance goals.

Here are the top-level numbers for local schools:

Complete San Jose Unified School District Results.

• Booksin Elementary: 890 (up from 876 last year) - Full Report
• Canoas Elementary: 744 (down from 756 last year) - Full Report
• Galarza Elementary: 726 (up from 711) - Full Report
• Gardner Academy: 697 (up from 670) - Full Report
• Hacienda Elementary: 848 (up from 830) - Full Report
• Hammer @ Galarza: 835 (up from 794) - Full Report
• Schallenberger: 837 (up from 821) - Full Report
• Willow Glen Elementary: 787 (up from 767) - Full Report
• River Glen Immersion: 813 (up from 775) - Full Report
• WG Middle School: 740 (up from 717) - Full Report
• WG High School: 704 (up from 692) - Full Report

Complete Campbell Union Elementary School District Results.

• Blackford Elementary: 737 (up from 715 last year) - Full Report

Complete Cambrian Elementary School District Results.

• Bagby Elementary: 903 (up from 893 last year) - Full Report

If you are curious about other schools in the state, the Department’s website is well-structured to help you find them. From any individual school report, you can compare similar schools or other schools within a district. If you know the name of the specific school, you can also search for any public school.

Well, if you still haven’t found a reason to visit Elva’s Coffee Stop (website by WGx), maybe this is your big chance. WG’s best Community-Involved Business is at it again this week, collecting coffee donations for troops stationed overseas.

Elva’s Operation Coffee & Cookies drive ends Sunday! Don’t miss out!

Elva and her crew have begun grinding coffee for the bags, with the lion share of the project set to wrap-up this weekend. The response has been so great, that Elva is worried her coffee grinders will conk out … thus the early start!

If you were looking for another reason to visit the Safety Fair this weekend at River Glen Park, here’s a simple way you can help: Stop by the special booth hosted by the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) Registry:

On any given day, more than 6000 men, women and children are searching the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) Registry for a life-saving donor like you. This year one of those 6000 in search of a match is also one of our neighbors in Willow Glen. In fact, he’s a five-year-old kid who played Willow Glen PAL Soccer last year. …

Unfortunately, a Marrow Transplant is not an option for our soccer player, because there aren’t enough donors that match his blood and ethnic makeup. But maybe we can all join the fight, and find a transplant match.

During our Kids Safety Fair on Saturday, August 16, you will have your chance to help us expand his options by being checked for a match.… The National Marrow Donor Program will be taking samples from 9-2 at River Glen Park.

It’s the second time in as many years that PAL Soccer players have felt the impact of tragic bad luck, but it’s a microcosmic part of our community that has shown an ability to pull together to support one of its own.

Now you can help, too!